"Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical" at History Theatre

The new original musical Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical celebrates the one holiday* that unites us all here in the Northland - winter itself! And specifically, it celebrates the way that we celebrate winter, namely the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Like all of History Theatre's original work, it's educational, shedding light on a little known aspect of local history, and it's also entertaining in the way it tells that history. But I don't think I've seen a History Theatre musical quite like this before, that wraps its historical lesson up in a bright fantastical world. It's an odd mix of real world facts and people, and a fantasy realm full of magical creatures, but somehow it works. Rollicking! is a yummy confection of a winter musical that celebrates everything we love about Minnesota, its people, and its traditions. Join the celebration at History Theatre in downtown St. Paul through December 21.

"Endometriosis: The Musical" at Theatre in the Round

The Minnesota Fringe Festival* is a great place for artists to develop and showcase new work. But truthfully, even the best shows at Fringe usually work best within that framework (less than an hour in length, presented at an experimental festival). But every once in a while, you'll see a show that feels like it has life beyond Fringe. The smash hit of the 2022 festival, Endometriosis: The Musical, was one such show. I knew immediately that this was more than "just" a Fringe musical, and "it needs to be seen by more people than just five (likely sold out) Fringe performances." Thankfully, the folks at Theatre in the Round (the venue for the 2022 show) saw that too, and have worked with the creators (book by Maria Bartholdi, music by Kristin Stowell, and lyrics by both) to develop Endometriosis into a full-length musical. Sadly, a show about women's reproductive health and the increasing dangers to it, and our ever more broken health care system, has only become more relevant in the last three years. What better way to bring attention to these issues, and to talk (and sing) about periods and other things related to "lady parts," than in an original musical? And to do it in such a fun, funny, entertaining way. As I wrote in 2022, Endometriosis: The Musical is "beautifully and cleverly written, both hilarious and poignant, and utterly relatable for any human who has ever menstruated." If you're looking for a new, original, relevant, locally created, silly, sobering, highly entertaining musical, go see Endometriosis: The Musical at the oldest theater in Minneapolis, and one smart enough to recognize the potential of this Fringey musical. 

"Steel Magnolias" at Yellow Tree Theatre

The first time I saw Steel Magnolias on stage (because of course the popular 1989 movie was a play first) was at Yellow Tree Theatre 13 years ago. Enough time has passed for them to revisit this funny and heart-warming story of female friendship. The last time I saw it was the at the Guthrie five years ago, in which Yellow Tree's Artistic Director Austene Van played Truvy. She moves to the director's chair for this production, leading a fantastic cast in this lovely production. I brought a group of female friends (as is my tradition at Yellow Tree, since I used to work at a nearby office), none of whom had seen the play (some not even the movie), and a good time was had by all. Well, a good time, and also a few tears. But as Truvy says, "laughter through tears is my favorite emotion!" Spend a couple of hours with these Steel Magnolias at Yellow Tree in Osseo now through December 22.

"Scotland, PA" by Theatre Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

Theater Latte Da is opening their 27th season (the first programmed by new Artistic Director Justin Lucero) with a wild one. It's technically a movie adaptation, but it's based on the obscure 2001 movie Scotland, PA, not a blockbuster sure-fire hit, so somebody must have been inspired by this darkly comedic 1970s-fast-food-set take on Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedies (although all of his tragedies are pretty bloody). The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 2019 and was further developed as part of Theater Latte Da's NEXT program in 2022. It starts off as this really fun rock musical about working folks trying to get ahead, and ends, well, bloody. It's brought to life by a creative team with many Broadway credits, and a brilliant cast full of home-grown talent. So grab a burger, head to the Ritz, and buckle up for a wild ride of a musical, continuing through October 20.

"Eleemosynary" by Spacetime Theatre at Gremlin Theatre

There's a new theater company in town, and they're making a strong debut with Eleemosynary, a play by prolific local playwright Lee Blessing commissioned by Park Square Theatre in the '80s. It's such a great play, delving into the complex relationships between mother and daughter (and grandmother and granddaughter), that I wonder why I've never seen it before. But I'm glad that Spacetime Theatre (helmed by Christopher Kehoe, who's been working in #TCTheater for a couple of decades) has chosen it as their first production, and cast these three talented actors. Check it out at Gremlin Theatre weekends through June 23.

"The Rats & The Wasp's Nest" at Yellow Tree Theatre

About halfway through the first of a pair of one-act Agatha Christie mystery plays at Yellow Tree Theatre, it started to seem familiar. At intermission I checked cherryandspoon.com (which is much more reliable than my memory) and found that I had indeed seen these two plays before. They were part of a triptych of plays at Park Square Theatre in 2019 called Agatha Christie: Rule of Thumb. The director of that piece, Austene Van, has brought two of these plays to Yellow Tree Theatre, of which she is now the Artistic Director, to begin their 16th season in their warm and cozy space in a strip mall in Osseo. Each one of these plays is under 45 minutes long, and both are wonderful examples of tight and concise mystery storytelling. It's like a mini Agatha Christie repertoire festival, but it only takes you less than 90 minutes on one night to see the shows. You will be rewarded by great performances in these murder stories that are more light and funny than dark and scary. A perfect way to ease into October (continuing through October 29).

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2022: "Endometriosis: The Musical"

Day: 2

Show: 6

Title: Endometriosis: The Musical

Category: MUSICAL THEATER

By: Ripped Nylons Productions

Written by: Maria Bartholdi (book and lyrics) and Kristin Stowell (music and lyrics)

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A musical about one woman's struggles to be heard by her health care providers, and eventual diagnosis of endometriosis.

Highlights: It's only day two, but I can already tell you this is going to be one of my favorite shows of the festival. Firstly, it's a great and unique topic for a musical - who else is singing about women's reproductive health?! But we should be! Years in development, it couldn't be more timely with recent legal changes that have set women's reproductive health and rights back 50 years. And on top of that it's beautifully and cleverly written, both hilarious and poignant, and utterly relatable for any human who has ever menstruated. Songs cover the pain and shame around the menstrual cycle (why can't we say period at the dinner table, or on stage?!), constant doctors visits at which our protagonist is told her debilitating pain is normal or is all in her head, doctors prescribing birth control for any and all ailments in females from a very young age, and the novel idea that our reproductive organs and our reproductive choices shouldn't hold us back from doing everything we want to do. I hope and suspect that this is only the beginning for Endometriosis: The Musical. I'm not saying it'll end up on Broadway and win a Tony for best score like another female-centric musical that started at a Fringe festival, but I think it needs to be seen by more people than just five (likely sold out) Fringe performances. I would love to see it expanded to a 70-90 show (the happy ending wrapped up a little too quickly, I think there's more to explore there), and if they recorded a cast album of this fabulous score I would buy it, listen to it in my car, and sing along with every word. And they should lock this cast down because they're perfection. The two guys in the show (Christian Unser and Drew Tennenbaum) are great and very funny playing multiple (often antagonistic) characters, but this show belongs to the women. Abby Holstrom, who plays our protagonist Jane, appears to be new to #TCTheater and I look forward to seeing her again. Her portrayal is so empathetic and real, she really grounds the show in humanity amongst the wackiness going on around her, and has a voice that's so crystal clear and full of emotion I found myself tearing up in some of the more poignant moments. She's supported by a comedy/vocal dream team of a trio in Nora Sonneborn, Tara Borman, and Aly O'Keefe playing multiple characters and singing gorgeous harmony (particularly in the song "Birth Control" which you can watch here). 

This mini-review is already too long and I haven't even mentioned the adorable DIY costumes and props, the smart and interesting staging/choreography in the in-the-round space (by choreographer Krista Grover Winkka and director Maria Bartholdi, who also voices some very funny and bizarre interstitial bits about a serial stabber), the fabulous three-piece live on-stage band (with music director/composer Kristin Stowell on keyboard), the perfect sound mix (TRP is a such great space for musicals, no mikes necessary), and the way they expertly walk the line between outrageous comedy and tender moments about this very real and relatable issue. You'll just have to see it for yourself, and I recommend making reservations because their first night was nearly sold out. Friends, this is going to be the breakout hit of the 2022 Minnesota Fringe Festival, and deservedly so.

The first step in recording a cast album - the song "Hide."

Hide.mp4 from Maria Bartholdi on Vimeo.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"A Gone Fishin' Christmas" at Yellow Tree Theatre

The #TCTheater holiday* season is not complete without a visit to charming downtown Osseo, adorned with red, green, blue, and white lights on all the trees lining the main street of this small town in the suburbs. Just a few blocks away, tucked in a nondescript strip mall, is the warm and welcoming Yellow Tree Theatre space, where for the 10th year in a row you can experience an original Minnesota holiday play, a silly comedy mixed with local references, and a heartfelt message of home and community underneath it all. YTT co-founder Jessica Lind Peterson has written four such plays - two installments of Miracle on Christmas Lake,** A Hunting Shack Christmas, and this year's selection, a reprise of last year's smash hit A Gone Fishin' Christmas. They've brought back most of the original cast, plus a few fun additions, and if possible it's even better than it was last year. It's a really fun feel-good show, with outrageous hilarity mixed with tender moments, plus an original song by Blake Thomas! The Wednesday performance I attended was not sold out, but tickets will get harder to come by, especially weekends, as the season continues, so make your plans now to visit the ice house before it's too late (more info here).

"Death of a Salesman" at Yellow Tree Theatre

Yellow Tree Theatre opened their ninth season with the American classic Death of a Salesman a few weeks ago, and has been racking up rave reviews ever since. So chances are you've already heard what an excellent production this is, and maybe you've even already seen it or made plans to. If not, I'm here to belatedly add my voice to the crowd. I've been a fan and loyal follower of Yellow Tree since their third season, and it's been a pleasure to watch their growth; they just keep getting better. Yesterday Yellow Tree announced that they are one of seven recipients of the American Theatre Wing's National Theatre Company Grant. Which is all just to say that they're doing great things at the cozy little theater in an unassuming strip mall in Osseo, and this intimate staging of an American classic featuring a brilliant cast is the most recent example.

"Fair Game" at Yellow Tree Theatre

This is another late viewing of a local show due to my week-long NYC trip. Unfortunately Yellow Tree Theatre's new original play Fair Game (written by Theater for the Thirsty's Jeremiah Gamble) closes this weekend, but if you happen to be free and are looking for a cute, fun, and very Minnesota play, this is the one for you! There's nothing too deep or thought-provoking about this story of a fictional reality show that puts five Minnesotans in an ice house for the duration of the State Fair, but it's clever and entertaining with a great small cast that is obviously having as much fun as the audience.

The play begins with a voiceover, in which we learn about the five contestants of Fair Game, a radio and online reality show which awards $50,000 to the person with the most tickets by the end of their stay in the small but cozy ice house (this is not nearly enough money to get me to spend twelve days trapped in a small space with four strangers!). There's tough-talking working class Desi from a small town outstate (Bonni Allen, with a perfect rural Minnesota accent), her high school frenemy Brenda, a yogi from the suburbs whose life is not as perfect as it seems (Vanessa Gamble, bringing some heart and soul to the comedy), Rea, a spoiled teenager from Edina (the delightful Tara Borman), Zander, a thoughtful post-grad whose grand ideas of making the world a better place are put to the test (Nathan Cousins, transforming from sweet and sincere to ruthless and fed up), and typical Minnesota farmer Elden, who needs the money to care for his sick wife (an appropriately grumpy Peter Simmons). As in most reality shows, personalities clash and alliances form as the five compete in various tests for prizes and more of the coveted tickets, which must be spent for bathroom privileges, food, and water. Contestants scam, scheme, argue, and have heartfelt conversations. Not much else happens, and things are wrapped up a little too neatly at the end. But I was happy to spend a few hours with these quirky characters well-portrayed by the cast under the direction Kurt Schweickhardt, making his directing debut after starring in last year's excellent Circle Mirror Transformation. In fact I see some similarities between that play and this; both feature five people forced to spend time together, during which much is brought to light about their lives and relationships.

As always, Yellow Tree makes the most of their small performance space. Scenic Designer Katie Phillips has created a darling little ice house with bunks, bench, table, and biffy with walls that the audience (although not the characters) can see through. I would happily spend twelve days in this tight little cabin (although without the annoying reality show contestants). The cast fills out this space well, and during a clever montage of freeze-frame scenes (like the one pictured here), we witness the passage of time and some of the silly tests and prizes (a corn dog!).

As I'm sure is obvious, I'm a big fan of Yellow Tree Theatre and the community that its founders Jessica and Jason Peterson have created in a strip mall in Osseo. They make smart choices in plays, balancing more traditional works with plays that challenge their audience and new works such as this, many of which highlight our beloved state of Minnesota. If you can't make it to Osseo this weekend, don't worry, you'll have another chance to experience their unique brand of theater with The 39 Steps, opening at the end of the month. I've seen it a few times, and called it "a wild, zany, fun ride." Another great choice, and I can't wait to see what they do with it!

"Hair" by 7th House Theater Collective at 514 Studios

Hair is a sneaky little show (subversive, one might say). This piece that James Rado and Gerome Ragni created in the late 60s lures you in with it's happy hippie, silly and fun celebration of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and then punches you in the gut with its serious and powerful themes of war and death and conformity. I always forget until I see it again what a remarkable thing it is that in 1968, the anti-war movement from the streets of NYC and around the country was represented on a Broadway stage, which before was relegated to more traditional musicals about things happening far away in time or space. Burning draft cards onstage in 1968 was a serious (and dangerous) artistic statement. But sadly, the idea of young people going off to war, never to return, is a concept that is not outdated. It's always a good time to put on a production of Hair in my opinion, and the talented young theater artists behind the 7th House Theater Collective agree. Theirs is a low-budget (they raised funds on Kickstarter), grass-roots, up-close-and-personal, raw and real production (perhaps similar to the first Off-Broadway production). But don't let this low-key vibe fool you, these kids have talent. And with the Chanhassen's Michael Brindisi as director, and choreographer Emily King, they have created a new interpretation of one of the most important pieces in musical theater history that's full of life and energy and raw emotion.

Hair is light on plot, but you don't need a complicated plot to have a story to tell and a truth to convey. Hair is about a "tribe" of young people living, loving, and protesting war on the streets of NYC. We follow Claude's journey as he receives his draft notice in the mail and processes it with the help of his friends (and a drug-aided hallucination), and makes a decision that affects everyone's lives. The novelty of this production is that it's done in the round in a small warehouse* in Minneapolis, with audience members sitting on couches and pillows, sometimes invited to take part. As you enter through the open garage door, actors are milling with the audience (and on a Monday night with many theater peeps in attendance, including Joseph and several of his brothers and a couple residents of Urinetown, it was difficult to tell the cast from the audience). They're dressed in modern clothes in the first act, which I was OK with, until they changed to period hippie clothes in the second act, which just felt right. The only set pieces are a couple of ladders rolled in and out as needed. The lighting is really cool, at times throwing shadows of dancing hippies up on the brick wall and huge flag, and creating a circle of light from which Claude cannot escape.

Listening to the 2009 revival cast album today, I realized they cut out a few songs and bits, and rearranged some things. But it works, there's a nice flow to the loopy ramblings of the tribe. The first act ends with the infamous nudity (tastefully and subtlety done, if there is such a thing a subtle nudity), and Claude is given a hallucinogenic drug just as the lights go down prior to intermission. The second act opens with everyone in the same position, now dressed in period hippie clothing. It's almost as if the play begins in modern times, and then they shed that modernity (literally) and everyone is transported back to the 60s in the second act with Claude's trip. Lots of bizarre things happen like in a crazy dream, including a brutal war sequence that's repeated and rewound several times, flowing through to Claude's decision to fulfill his duty.

this flyer for the Be-In looks suspiciously
similar to the one handed out during
the 2009 Broadway production

The cast of 13 is smaller than usual (the Broadway casts have been over 20), which causes some insignificant compromises - the women burn draft cards (which doesn't make sense logically but works aesthetically) and there aren't enough women of color for "White Boys," so one of the guys joins them. But all of the major characters are covered. And most importantly, this tribe really feels like a tribe - a group of people that love and trust each other, and play and work well together. Including - Katie Bradley as the pregnant Jeannie who's hung up on Claude; a fabulous Brianna Graham as Dionne (and Abraham Lincoln); Caroline Innerbichler, a perfect choice for the sweet innocent Crissy ("Frank Mills"); Derek Prestly as my favorite character Woof (although no making out with Mick Jagger's poster); Grant Sorenson in a very funny and well-done bit as a female (?) tourist encountering the hippies; and lovely harmonies by Rudolph Searles III and Tara Borman on one of my favorite musical moments of the show, "What a Piece of Work is Man."

The heart of this piece for me is the love triangle between Claude, Berger, and Sheila, with the strongest love being between best friends Claude and Berger. The trio of Matt Riehle, David Darrow, and Cat Brindisi play it well and believably. Matt is charismatic and playful with the audience, as Berger should be, at times a lovable and loyal friend, at other times a jerk. As much as I love Gavin Creel from the 2009 Broadway revival (so much so that I made a special trip to NYC to see him and the rest of the tribe before they took the show to London, and waited outside in the freezing cold of January to meet him after the show), David's version of "The Flesh Failures" is something I've never heard before. He turns the song into a desperate cry of confusion, terror, and despair, literally beating his chest as he tries to make sense of it all. He took this song that I've heard hundreds of times before and made me hear it in a whole different way. "Silence tells me secretly... everything" gave me chills. Finally, I had this thought while I was sitting there - someday when Cat Brindisi wins her first Tony Award, I'll be sitting at home on my couch cheering her on and remembering the day I heard her sing "Easy to be Hard" in a sweaty little garage space in Minneapolis.

My first experience with Hair, the Americal Tribal Love-Rock Musical (besides that one episode of the early 90s sitcom Head of the Class), was the 2004 Michael Brindisi directed production at the Pantages, starring a hugely talented cast that are still among my favorite actors working today. Now almost ten years later, this feels like the next generation of that production. The future looks bright, and I look forward to seeing what these young artists do in the next ten years. A few tickets remain for this weekend's final performances (did I mention they're free?). Get 'em while you can.

*514 Studios is a little tricky to find. It's actually on an alley parallel to Washington on the 3rd Street side, between 5th and 6th Avenues. Street parking is pretty easy to find, especially on the other side of Washington (and free after 6). The one downside of this space is that there are no concessions available. On a hot summer night, it would be nice to have a drink, which also often helps with interactive theater. ;)

"Circle Mirror Transformation" at Yellow Tree Theatre

Circle Mirror Transformation is an odd little play, full of awkward pauses, interrupted conversations, and silly games. But it's also surprisingly deep and poignant. It'll make you laugh, think, and feel, which is my favorite kind of play. I saw it at the Guthrie a few years ago and it was one of my favorites of the year, and I knew it was a perfect choice for Yellow Tree Theatre. Circle Mirror Transformation and Yellow Tree are a great match - both are slightly quirky and offbeat, but with a lot of heart and great storytelling.

The entire 90-minute play takes place in a six-week community acting class in a small town in Vermont. We mark the passage of time with a changing sign on the bulletin board announcing the week. The play is constructed as a series of short scenes depicting class exercises, as well as interactions between the characters during breaks or before class. As the play progresses we piece together more and more of each person's story. Teacher Marty (Doree Du Toit, read an interesting story about her acting journey here) wants to share her love of the art with her students, one of which is her husband James, an original hippie (Kurt Schweickhardt). Theresa (Yellow Tree co-founder Jessica Lind Peterson) was a struggling actor in NYC until breaking up with her boyfriend and moving to Vermont a few months ago. Lauren (Tara Borman) is a typically sullen teenager who signed up for the class to help her win the role of Maria in her school's upcoming production of West Side Story, and wants to know if they're going to do any "real acting." The final student, Schultz (Dan Hopman), is going through a bit of a mid-life crisis, recently divorced and dealing with living on his own and trying to make a new start.

James and Marty act out a scene as Lauren looks on

Each of these characters comes to the class for a different reason and gets something different out of it, but as the title suggest, each is transformed, in big or small ways. We witness the entire course of a relationship between Theresa and Schultz (beautifully, painfully, and realistically played by Jessica and Dan), from nervous attraction, to giddy infatuation, to a really awkward breakup, to some sort of closure. Marty is not quite as together as she seems and has some issues of her own to work through, with or without the help of her husband. Lauren is trying to escape some family issues, which she's finally able to admit in a really fascinating class exercise - each class member tells another person's life story, which reveals as much about the speaker as it does about the subject. This play is really a character study, and playwright Annie Baker has quite brilliantly allowed us to gain vital tidbits of information about each of them in an unconventional way, without telling the full story. One gets the sense that this is just a short snippet in each character's life, a full and complex life that started long before the action of the play began and continues long after it ends. As director Andy Frye (who does a beautiful job bringing out the depth of each of these characters as well as making great use of the space) says in the program notes, "the exercises performed serve only as a catalyst for what's really going on with these complex characters." As the play progresses, the exercises take on more and more meaning as we learn about the people performing them.

an intense moment between Schultz and Theresa

Costume, set, and props designer Sarah Bahr has perfectly created the world in which this story plays out. The slight wardrobe changes effectively signal a new day while allowing for quick changes between scenes. The Yellow Tree stage is about as bare as I've ever seen it - the back wall is painted a dull yellow, adorned simply with a barre, mirror, and bulletin board. The only set pieces are a hula hoop, stool, and and ball. It looks like any well-used community center classroom where any number of activities have taken place over the years.

I almost wish I could participate in a class like this, that's less about acting than it is about connecting more deeply with oneself and one's fellow human beings. On second thought, maybe that's exactly what (good) acting is, as perfectly illustrated in this production. This five-person cast, with no weak link among them, fully rises to the requirements of the material - being fully present and in the moment, speaking the way real people speak, with all the awkwardness of real life. If you've never made the trip up to Osseo, now is a great time to do it. Circle Mirror Transformation is one of the best shows I've seen at Yellow Tree Theatre. If you love funny, quirky, real, and poignant theater, you won't be disappointed. Playing now through February 24.